‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Dan Feuerriegel Talks Who Shot EJ, Sami’s Return and Being a DiMera (EXCLUSIVE)
Aussie soap opera hunk gets candid about preparing for and recovering from recent pacemaker surgery
With a Days of Our Lives whodunnit unfolding and EJ in a coma, portrayer Dan Feuerriegel is recuperating from his own very real surgery, but—Spoiler alert! —these two are not done causing trouble in Salem. As Alison Sweeney’s Sami returns to today to find Belle professing her love to an unconscious EJ, Feuerriegel talks to Women’s World about what it was like to have everyone in Salem turn on his character and why it’s so fun to be a dark, dangerous, and desperate-for-love DiMera.
Plus, the Australian soap opera hunk also known for his run as Agron in the Spartacus TV franchise gets candid about how he prepared for his pacemaker replacement in March and how he’s trying to make the most of his recovery now.
‘Days of Our Lives’ star Dan Feuerriegel dishes EJ’s shooting and being a DiMera
EJ DiMera is no stranger to showdowns on Days of Our Lives, but in the lead up to the current ‘Who shot EJ?’ storyline, it seemed like everyone was coming at him—and Dan Feuerriegel loved it.
“When it’s an EJ-centric storyline, it’s nice to have a little bit of attention,” he says with a grin. “It’s always fun to be the bad guy, shall we say, and see how much I can annoy people as the character and where that takes me. It’s also just a lot of fun to do a whodunnit.”
Having joined the show in 2021, the recast has been forced to face the repercussions of the machinations he’s played, as well as the years of drama played by his predecessor, James Scott—including the fact that EJ and Sami’s son, Johnny, was a product of rape.
“My job is to not judge the character, but to feel it and stay true to what he’s going through,” Feuerriegel says. “It’s a challenge to go, ‘All right, how is EJ going to justify this?’ It’s great, because you get to really delve into darkness and flex that muscle. It was also a good acting exercise, because in the majority of the scenes, Carson Boatman (who plays Johnny) was running the show, so I just had to react and listen.”
‘Days of Our Lives’ star Dan Feuerriegel talks EJ’s last words and being a DiMera
As the target on EJ’s back grew, he was devastated that his son had learned the truth, but the scheming DiMera seemed to be enjoying the rest of the turmoil that surrounded him.
“Just before he got shot, he goes, ‘I won’—famous last words!” Feuerriegel cracks. “EJ revels in that kind of hate, because in his mind, he’s like, ‘Sweet! I’m doing what’s best for my family, and if that means pissing everyone off, so be it.’ For him, it’s always about him controlling the narrative and it’s always for his family. At least, that’s his justification.”
Like his half-sister Kristen, EJ is carrying on father Stefano DiMera’s complicated brand of villainy, and Feuerriegel understands the significance of being a legacy character.
“My mother used to watch Days with her mother and aunties and it was, ‘Oh, we don’t like those DiMeras!’” he explains. “Now, I’ve become one of them! So she’s very proud and says my grandmother would have been, too. It’s a privilege and an honor to be part of a 60-year legacy, and to put my little stamp in the history of EJ DiMera.”
‘Days’ star Dan Feuerriegel considers EJ’s feelings for Sami and Belle
When not scheming to save their family or their business, DiMera’s scheme in the name of love—and bad boy EJ has a penchant for strong women who can give him a run for his money.
“He likes that challenge, and though he often gets scolded, I think he secretly likes that, too,” Feuerriegel maintains. “It’s all just part of the game. That’s why he has an affinity for Sami, Belle, and Nicole.”
While Sami is confident her ex and her half-sister are only into each other to upset her, Feuerriegel doesn’t agree.
“EJ’s always playing chess and what he really loves about Belle is that she’s his match in that department,” he says. “Not that Sami isn’t, but they light each other’s fires in different ways. Sami and EJ are very much alike. They enjoy the combative nature of the relationship. Belle’s more the goody two shoes, but she also won’t put up with his crap.”
‘Days’ star Dan Feuerriegel reveals how he prepared for his recent heart surgery
With Days of Our Lives’ production several months ahead, Feuerriegel is still clocking in as EJ and in a twist of timing, is also currently recovering alongside his character. Having gotten a pacemaker at only 17 years old, the actor had surgery during the last week of March for a battery upgrade.
“I’ve had a heart condition since I was born and it’s been 15 years since my last one, so this has always been part of my life,” says Feuerriegel. “It gives you perspective and reminds you to chill out, slow down, and look after yourself.”
As a veteran heart patient, Feuerriegel started preparing for the surgery right after the holiday season.
“The healthier you are when you go in for an operation, the quicker it is to recover,” he explains. “I came back from my vacation in Australia and I was rather heavy, shall we say! I was enjoying life a little bit too much, so I just focused on health. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since the beginning of the year and I’m eating well.”
‘Days’ star Dan Feuerriegel opens up about recovering from last months’ pacemaker surgery
Having gotten back to fighting weight and had the surgery, Feuerriegel is now being forced to slow down and let his body do the rest of the work.
“My heart is fine, but I need to give myself about a month for the wound to heal—and it feels unnatural for me to not do anything,” he admits. “I’m very fitness oriented. If I’m not going to fitness classes or on hikes or enjoying social stuff, I get a little bit internal and sometimes that can be a negative thing for me.”
That said, the author of the cyberpunk crime graphic novel series Fractured Shards is making the most of this quiet time with his two cats.
“I’ve started to write and read more,” he shares. “And I’ve dug into my graphic novel, creatively, and am thinking 15 books ahead. I’m able to accomplish a lot more stuff like that when I’m stuck in the house.”
‘Days’ star Dan Feuerriegel calls EJ’s coma ‘a vacation,’ but he’s not going anywhere
As Feuerriegel recovers from heart surgery in the real world, his Days of Our Lives character lies in a coma—which the actor quite enjoyed after all the drama that led up to EJ’s shooting!
“There were a lot of scenes where I was getting yelled at and the stuff with Carson Boatman was very emotionally heavy, so it was a little break, mentally,” he says. “I didn’t have to learn my lines or go through much hair and makeup. I just plopped into the bed, and in this soap world, that is a vacation!”
‘Days’ star Dan Feuerriegel tases it will be ‘a while!’ before we know who shot EJ
With EJ unconscious in his upcoming scenes, it offered Feuerriegel an interesting view of his costars. Today on Days of Our Lives, for example, Sami walks in to overhear Belle professing her love to a comatose EJ!
“I got to lie there and listen to two people just do their thing—and it was great!” Feuerriegel raves of costars Alison Sweeney and Martha Madison.
As for how long Days of Our Lives viewers will have to wait to find out who shot EJ, it turns out we’ll all have to wait as long as his portrayer did.
“The show did not tell me who it was until it was revealed in the script,” Feuerriegel tells Woman’s World. “The crew gets episodes before we do, so they had theories, and then other actors had theories based on their storyline and what they’d read. But I never got to see those scripts, so I was in the dark for a while!”
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